Tally device



L. J. FISHEL.

TALL! nnvxcn April 1 1924. 1,489,028

Filed May 23, 1922 mvsuroe 1760 J ATTORNEY 5rd: ji

Patented Apr. 1, 1924.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LEO J. FISHEL, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

TALLY DEVICE.

Application filed May 23,

To all "whom it may concern Be it known that I, LEO J. F ISHEL, a citizen of the United States, and resident of New York city, county of New York, and State of New York, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Tally Devices, of which the following is a description.

This invention relates to a tally device for use in the playing of games and broadly considered, contemplates the provision of a device of this character which is so constructed that each individual player in the game may keep an accurate score or tally which will also be exposed to the view of his opponents.

More particularly, my present invention comprehends a tally device especially designed for use in playing the game which I call Help your neighbor. Heretofore, this game has been played with playing cards. I propose to substitute for the cards, the tally devices which will be hereinafter more fully described and in connection with which a pair of playing dice are used.

In one embodiment of the invention I construct the body of the device from a sheet metal plate having divergently disposed panels upon one of which numerals are printed or otherwise delineated. At the apex of the converging panels, flaps or plates also of sheet metal, are pivotally mounted at one of their ends, each of said plates bearing upon one of its faces a numeral corresponding to the numeral on the panel with which said plate is in alignment. \Vhen the plate is swung to a position over the numeral on the panel, the said numeral is hidden and only the blank face of the plate is visible while, when the hinged plate is in the opposite position and resting on the other panel, thenumeral thereon will be visible to the player operating the device.

It is also a further general object of the invention to provide a tally device as above characterized. which is simple and durable in its construction, and can be manufaclured and sold at relatively small cost.

\Vith the above and other objects in view the invention consists in the improved game tally device and in the form, construction and arrangement of its several parts as will be hereinafter more fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawing and 1922. Serial NO. 562,972.

subsequently incorporated in the subjoined claims.

In the drawing wherein I have illustrated one simple and practical embodiment of the invention and in which similar reference characters designate corresponding parts throughout the several views,

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the device showing the arrangement of the hinged flaps or plates at the start of the game;

Fig. 2 is a top plan view, certain of the plates having been swung over to cover the numerals on one of the sheetmetal panels; I

3 is a side elevation;

Fig. 4 is an end elevation; and

Fig. 5 is a detail transverse section taken on the line 55 of Fig. 3. l

The tally device illustrated in the accompanying drawing is preferably constructed of sheet metal, though it is to be understood that the following description will apply equally as well to the device when made of relatively stiff or heavy cardboard, wood, or of other suitable materials. In the particular form which I have selected as best illustrating the essential and novel features of my invention, I have disclosed the body of the device as being formed from a single plate of sheet metal having divergently disposed panels 5 preferably positioned at angles of approximately with relation to each other. At the apex or meeting edges of these panels the sheet metal plate is formed with a plurality of longitudinally spaced knuckles 6 which are produced by "forming the intermediate portion of the plate into tubular shape and then cutting sections from said tubular portion at spaced points. In the spaced knuckles or tubular portions of the body plate a longitudinally extending hinge rod or pintle 7 is fixed.

Each of the panels 5 intermediate of the knuckles (3 and its free longitudinal edge is formed with an angular longitudinally extending shoulder or step 8. The surface of one of the panels 5 between this shoulder and the knuckles 6 has the numbers 2, 3, 4L 6, 8, 9, 10. 11 and 12 printed or otherwise marked thereon, as shown at 9. The surface of the other inclined panel is entirely blank.

plates 10, also preferably of sheet metal, are hingedly mounted at one of their ends, each o't' said plates being provided with a sleeve or knuckle 11 loosely surrounding the hinge rod or pintle 7. It will be noted from reference to Fig. at of the drawings that these flaps or plates 10 are of a length somewhat less than the width of the individual panels and project beyond the longitudinal steps or shoulders 8 on said panels so that the finger may be readily engaged with the free end of the plate to swing the plate from a position of rest on one panel to a similar position on the other panel. These plates are of snflicient width to completely cover and conceal the numbers 9 when said plates are disposed upon the panel bearing said numbers. Each of the plates also has a number indicated at 12, printed or marked upon the face thereof which would be opposed to the panel surface hearing the numbers 9. so that when the plates 10 are disposed on the latter panel, the numbers 12 on said plates as well as the numbers 9 on the panel. are invisible.

As hereinbefore stated. the tally device above described is especially designed for use in playing the game which I call Help your neighbor. The procedure in the play ing of this game with the im iiroved tally device is as follows:

Any number of players may engage in the game, each player being provided with one of the tally devices. it the start of the game, the plates 10 are all positioned upon the unnumbered panel so that the numbers borne by said plates are visible to the player operating tlie'tally device. while the numbers 9 on the panel 5 are visible to his opponents. A pair of dice are thrown in succession by each player and the player throwing the highest: number starts the game. This player throws the dice and then turns the flap or plate 10 hearing a number corresponding to the number denoted by the combined digits .on the upper faces of the dice, from the position seen in Fig. 1- to a position of rest on the opposite panel 5. Assuming that this number is r. the appropriate flap or plate swung over. as seen in Fig. 2, so that the number i on said flap is no longer visible and the number 4 on the panel 5 is also covered by said plate. Thus both the player operating the tally device and his opponents is aware of the fact that the player has thrown the number 4.. This player continues to throw the dice as long as he throws one of the numbers appearing on the plates 10 which still are visible to him or until he throws the number '7, for which there is no corresponding plate. The person at the left of the player is known as his neighbor. In either case he must pass the dice to his neighbor who then becomes the player. If the player should throw a number which is already covered on his tally board but is not covered on his neighbors, then his neighbor may cover such number on his own tally board, thus helping his nei hbor while the dice also )HSS to the neighbor whose turn it then becomes to play. Also, if a player throws a number which is covered on his neighbors tally board as well as his own. he must pass the dice to his neighbor. The play continues in. this manner until all of the numbers on the tally board of one player have been covered, said player being declared the winner.

From the foregoing description considered in connection with the accompanying drawing. the construction of the improved tally device and the manner of using the same in playing the game will be readily understood. It will be apparent that the expense incident to the purchase of these tally devices will be considerably less than in the use of the playing cards as has heretofore been the custom in playing the game referred to. I have above described a particular method of procedure in the playing of the game, but it will be manifest that the tally device might also be used in the playing of other games than that mentioned. Furthermore, it will be obvious that it is not essential that the tally device should be constructed in the triangular form illustrated, as it might also be made in various other shapes or forms and the movable flaps or plates could also be otherwise mounted than as herein particularly described.

Accordingly, it is to be understood that while I have disclosed a simple and practical construction of the device, it is susceptible of embodiment in numerous other al ternati'vc constructions and I, therefore, reserve the privilege of adopting all such legitimate changes in the form, proportion and relative arrangen'ient of the several parts as may be fairly embodied within the spirit and scope of the invention as claimed.

I claim: I

l. A game tally board comprising a body having laterally adjacent panels, one of said panels having spaced characters marked thereon, the adjacent panel having a blank surface, a plurality of flaps hingedly connected to said body between said panels, each of said flaps bearing a character on one side thereof correspol'iding to a character marked on the adjacent panel and visible when the flap is positioned on the blank panel, said flap being adapted to be swung to a position overlying the corresponding character on the marked panel, whereby the correspond ing characters on the marked panel and the flap are rendered invisible.

A game tally device comprising a body having diverging panels and one of said aanels having spaced characters marked thereon, a plurality of flaps hingedly connected to said body at the apex of the panels in line with said characters and each of said flaps bearing a character on one side thereof corresponding to the adjacent character on the panel and visible when said flap is positioned on the other panel, said flap adapted to be swung to a position overlyin the panel having the characters thereon w ereb the corresponding characters on the pane and the fiap are rendered invisible.

3. A ame tally device of the character described, comprising a body consisting of a single sheet of material bent to provide divergently disposed panels, a longitudinally extending hinge rod at the apex of said body, each of said panels having a longitudinally extending shoulder formed therein at an intermediate point and one panel being provided with spaced characters between said shoulder and the apex of said body, and flaps hin edly connected to said hinge rod at one of t ieir ends in line with the char acters on said panel, each flap bearing a character corresponding to the adjacent character on the anel and visible when the flap is positionec u on the other of said panels, said flap wien positioned on the panel bearing the characters rendering the corresponding characters on the panel and the flap invisible.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention, I have signed my name hereunder.

LEO J. FISHEL. 

